The presence of Spanish art in the United States was consolidated in 2011 with the inauguration of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg (Florida) with a new magnificent building with views of Tampa Bay. The Spanish art tradition has always attracted the interest of important American museums, from classical Spanish paintings to contemporary Spanish artists like Picasso.

Spanish Art Influences in the United States

From the very beginning, the Spanish presence in the USA left artistic traces; in the states neighboring Mexico and especially California and Florida, where the Spanish presence was strongest. In these states, the Spanish influence is most noticeable in the Mediterranean style colonial architecture and the religious iconography that is present in many places.

In California there is a trail that unites all the Spanish missions referred to as the Royal Road, the King's Highway or California Mission Trail, each separated by a day of travel. This route will provide you with a unique glimpse of the Baroque architecture of the period: churches, cloisters, small buildings that formed the villages, and walls and forts that surrounded the complexes Franciscan monks, especially Fray Junipero Serra, born in Majorca, were responsible for the evangelization of the natives in the Spanish territory in what was then northern Mexico.

Spanish Paintings in American Museums

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is home to some important Spanish art masterpieces including art collections by classical painters like Velázquez, El Greco and Goya, as well as from modern Spanish artists such as Picasso. Some of Picasso's works on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art include:

Seated Harlequin, 1901

Gertrude Stein, 1905-1906

Reading at the Table, 1934

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), also located in New York, houses art collections of Spanish painters such as Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Julio Gonzalez, Antoni Tapies, Juan Gris and more.

At the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, one can enjoy different types of Spanish artwork by Diego Velazquez, El Greco and Francisco de Goya.

For those on the west coast of the USA, you can also view Spanish art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). On display are works by North American artists mixed with Spanish artwork by Alonso Cano, Antonio del Castillo and Francisco de Goya. Another interesting attraction at LACMA are the fashion costume sketches for Spanish characters for Hollywood films based in Spain.

In the state of Texas in the central part of southern USA the Dallas Museum of Art is located. The museum's origins go back to the Dallas Art Association which began to hold art exhibitions which eventually evolved into its own museum. This museum features Picasso paintings and also Spanish religious iconographic art.

The once powerful Spanish Empire undoubtedly left a cultural and artistic influence in the USA, exemplified by the remnants of Spanish art, architecture and iconography still present today.

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